New Jersey Motorsports Park Awaits The Stars Of MotoAmerica
COSTA MESA, CA, APR. 26 – If oddsmakers took bets on the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, chances are Josh Hayes would come to New Jersey Motorsports Park, April 28-May 1, for the Superbike Championship of New Jersey as the odds-on favorite. After all, Hayes has won 11 Superbike races at NJMP, including both races last year, and has qualified on pole position five times, again including last year. But if those making the odds looked not to the past but to the present, the numbers might not be as lopsided as you’d think. Remember, the four-time Superbike Champion and his Monster Energy/Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 has yet to taste victory in 2016 after two rounds and four races.
The 2016 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship arrives at NJMP this week following two rounds of scintillating races at Circuit of The Americas and Road Atlanta and a weekend off to catch its breath. So what have we learned so far in the early days of the new season?
For one, there’s a newcomer to the series who is a force to be reckoned with and his name is Toni Elias. Secondly, his Yoshimura Suzuki team seems to have a bit of swagger after winning three of the first four races and holding down first and second in the championship with Roger Hayden leading Elias by a single point heading into NJMP. The third thing we’ve learned is that Hayes’ teammate Cameron Beaubier seems to be back, the defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion winning race two at Road Atlanta to end what was a miserable run of bad luck to open his 2016 campaign. Even though he got that first win of the season, the road back to the top of the championship will take a bit longer as he’s currently 38 points behind Hayden and seventh in the title chase entering round three.
And then we come to Hayes – third in the title chase and 24 points behind Hayden after finishing third twice at COTA and second once at Road Atlanta. The other race at Road Atlanta was one that Hayes is trying to forget. While racing for the lead with Beaubier, Hayes made a mistake and ran into the back of his teammate, causing both to crash out of the race and handing first and second to Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Elias and Hayden. So Hayes is winless and happy to be heading to a place where his fortunes have been plentiful.
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